Home Sweet Home

Our farewell dinner hosted by the Bagmati Rotary Club. I love all the beautiful saris and colors!

Playing a drum in a music shop in Bhaktapur.

Michelle, Sarah and I performing a "typical Nepali dance" at the District Conference. Some how Michelle lured Sarah and I into taking two dance classes, renting costumes, and performing in front of a couple hundred people!

My new friends Aayushbi and Aadarsh Rijal in front of a "school bus" below their home.

Sarah and I in an old city called Patan. The doorways were built low so people bow their heads when entering a home. This way you enter the home humbly.

Spinning the prayer wheels at Boudha.

Buddhist monks at a monastery in Boudha.

It was great to arrive home after a flight to Bangkok, LA and Mammoth. I am now trying to process all the experiences I had over the past month in Nepal. In case anyone is still following the blog, I thought I would post a few final pictures.

An Emotional Journey

This morning I left the family of Indra Rijal. In just three nights I became very close with his wife and children. I taught them to play hangman during load shedding, went to play badminton, ate traditional Nepali food, and went to two dance classes. Indra told me that in Nepal "Guests are  God." I have felt that this saying is true in each home I have been in. When I left this morning I was given an entire traditional Chhetri outfit and might have to wear it on my first day back to school!

At our final Rotary club meeting this morning we all shared our most memorable experiences while in Nepal. During this time, I think we all realized how important this trip has been for us as professionals, Americans, and human beings. I know that I will return to my community and school with a broadened perspective of the world. This will probably be my last post while in Nepal (because I need some shopping time!) so I want to say thank you to everyone who played a role in this experience. It is definitely unforgettable!

Namaste - Becky

A wonderful evening hosting our hosts

Tonight was wonderful because we all came together and cooked an "American" meal for our hosts. We had Noora's middle eastern stuffed vegetables, vegetable pasta, garlic bread, grilled zucchini, BBQ chicken and apple crisp for dessert.I was so happy to bake because it made me feel like I was at home. We realized as we were eating dinner that our food lacks so much spice and flavor compared to Nepali food! More importantly, we enjoyed good conversation, food, drinks, and company in a wonderful garden setting after a day of visiting two more schools.

I enjoyed today's school visits because young people were making a big difference in school environments without a lot of money. They painted, reorganized, fixed up, planted trees and shrubs and brought light to two government schools. With this work, the principal has made positive changes in her school and it was evident when we were there. The young Rotaracts and school staff were proud of their work and they should be!

We are off to new host families tomorrow after a morning of sight seeing. These last few days seem to be flying by! There is so much to do and see in such a short amount of time....
Becky
PS - We are taking Nepali dance classes on Wednesday and Thursday - YIPEE!!!!

Becky

A Whirlwind Week

Greetings from Kathmandu again! We have all safely arrived in Kathmandu and are all healthy. We have had an extremely hectic week and I know I am looking forward to a good night of rest. We had two particularly moving experiences while in Chitwan last week (OK maybe three). We went to visit an old-aged home while in Chitwan. This home was for 32 seniors who did not have anyone to look after them. It was located right by a big river and is sponsored by rotary. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we arrived or how we were going to interact with the elderly people because we did not share a common language.

However, like with many experiences in Nepal, interesting and fun things happen at the spur of the moment. While waiting for the seniors to finish lunch, our hosts walked us down to the river to see the locals celebrating Ram Newari. They asked us if we would like to cross the river in a dugout boat/canoe and of course we said yes! So, Michell, Sarah and I all got in the boat and crossed the river to a temple. Here at least 100 - 150 Nepali people were celebrating the holiday by going into the river and washing themselves. It was almost like a baptism. Everyone was very open to sharing this tradition with us so we took off our shoes and walked into the river. We were blessed by the river water and felt very welcome. It was so interesting to be a part of it.

After the river trip, we went back to the elderly home and joined them on the floor of a common area. They were all waiting for us to talk so I pulled out some postcards from home. This sparked some conversation and smiles. The next thing we knew, they were playing musical instruments and were singing. One older woman stood up an began dancing and we joined her. Everyone was laughing, singing and dancing. Even Eli got up to dance. Even without sharing a language, we were able to laugh and dance together and share a great time with each other. I believe everyone on the team left the home feeling good in our hearts.

Finally we went to a school project in Jyotinagar, Chitwan. This tiny little school was way off the beaten path. It was about a 30x15 foot building constructed by rotary and locals. The children in this area do not have access to a public school and can not afford it. Therefore, the local people decided to build a school. I was so inspired by the spirit of the volunteer teacher and community members that are trying to give these children a school. We were greeted by the entire school, teachers, parents and rotarians with flowers and smiles. They told us about their struggles an triumphs and I was both saddened and moved. They need so much help. We ended our visit with another song and dance period led by Michelle. Here we were, in the middle of a village, singing and dancing and laughing again with a wonderful group of people. Thank goodness Michelle has the ability to bring people together through music. I will never forget this visit and hope to stay in touch with the teachers. I have already received an email from one of the sponsoring rotarians!

That is all for now. I should get some rest for sight seeing and two presentations at different rotary clubs tomorrow. Namaste- Becky

Lumbini

Tansen & Lumbini

We are writing this blog from a little "closet" in Lumbini. We were amazed that they had internet access! For the past three days we were in Tansen, Palpa. Michelle and I rested in a hotel while Eli, Noora, and Sarah all stayed with host families. We presented at the Talpa Rotary Club and it was pretty informal and small. As usual, our hosts were extremely welcoming and open to share about their club, families and culture. We visited their water project which was really interesting. We took a crazy jeep ride up a dirt road to visit the three tanks that were built for about 150 households. Before the tanks were built, women had to walk 2-3 hours to get drinking water. The locals were excited because the rotarians turned on the taps while we were there so they got "extra water." As with all places we visit, we especially enjoy watching the children and trying to communicate with them. A few children were playing in the water coming from the taps and having a blast.
Today we are in Lumbini - the birthplace of Lord Buddha. I feel very privileged to be able to visit this sacred place because people come from all over the world to visit here. We visit historical sites in the U.S., but nothing can compare to the ruins from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
We are all feeling better - maybe because we are in this sacred place :)
We are off to meet Eli for dinner and then relax at the Bamboo Palace! We are loving the posts everyone is writing on the blog - keep them coming!
Namaste - Becky